Musgrave Choo Choo

11/10/2024

Out of Shelbyville, Tennesee, the jumbo sized, bright yellow Choo Choo pencil is sure to win your heart if you have any semblance of kindergartener left in you. When I write with this pencil I feel like Charlie Brown writing with the only pencil humongous enough to be visible on those low-fi cartoons. It feels like Sally is dictating to you her weird letter to Santa Claus. Or maybe you're writing a letter to the little red-haired girl biting on your tongue in pure focus. The eraser and ferrule on this thing just feel totally oversized, I love it. And have I even mentioned there's a TRAIN engraved on the side?

Now, onto the details. The large, round barrel makes for a really nice grip, good for writing without slipping down your hand. It's especially good at writing large words, but struggles at thin marks or detailed drawings. My only gripe is that the blue paint on the train engraving is rubbing off pretty easily. The eraser is fairly standard, slightly above par mostly because of its size. The lead is a pretty standard HB (#2) grade. I would describe it as smooth but still tactile. The tip doesn't seem to wear down as fast as other HB pencils, but this in part because I keep the point pretty dull as I'm not expecting to make detailed marks anyways. I use this pencil most for writing lists or drawing large diagrams.